The Awareness Center closed. We operated from April 30, 1999 - April 30, 2014. This site is being provided for educational & historical purposes.
We were the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault (JCASA); and were dedicated to ending sexual violence in Jewish communities globally. We did our best to operate as the make a wish foundation for Jewish survivors of sex crimes. In the past we offered a clearinghouse of information, resources, support and advocacy.

Sunday, April 30, 2006

We have all been taught from a very early age to honor our mothers and fathers. This lesson can be extremely complicated for survivors of childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

Each year when "Mother's Day"
comes around, certain expectations come along with it. All of us whose
mothers are still alive are called to honor and reaffirm our love and
appreciation for an individual who brought us into this world; a person
who made numerous selfless sacrifices in her own life to raise happy and
healthy children and support them through their path to adulthood.
Unfortunately for survivors of childhood abuse, this day can be
extremely difficult and confusing: for how does one spend a day seeped
in honoring someone who had failed to live up to the very archetype of
unconditional protection that the day celebrates and who at times may
have been the very person responsible for the abuse?

Jonathan, a survivor, wrote us:

"Growing
up my brothers and I would buy our mother presents. It was expected
that our family would spend the day together and come evening my father
would take us all out to dinner. Once I became an adult and started
dealing with my abuse issues, it became difficult for me to attend
family functions, especially this family function.

How was I to honor the very woman who was my offender? It's taken me years to be able to say 'I am a survivor of Mother-Son incest.'
To this day my mother has never apologized for sexually assaulting
me...and so I struggle honoring the kind of mother she is. This makes
Mother's day a difficult day for me."

Nancy wrote:

"My mother was always very abusive to me as I was growing up. She even blamed me for her boyfriend raping
me when I was eight-years-old! From that time on I'd tried being the
perfect little girl; hoping that one day she'd forgive me... Every year
as Mother's Day
approached I'd go to our local card store and spend hours searching for
the perfect card that will tell my mother how much she meant to me. I
guess I figured that if I could find the right card she would start to
love me again...

When I turned eighteen I moved out on my own.
This was also the year when I first entered therapy. It got to be very
difficult for me to buy my mom a Mother's Day card... For a few years I
just got cards that were funny, but then it didn't feel right to do that
anymore, either. Because you see, even the funny cards ended up saying
stuff like 'what a great mom you were'... Finally I found a recovery bookstore
that sold greeting cards and believe it or not they had cards that
specialized in dealing with the very 'card-issues' those of us from
'dysfunctional families' have! I now send her cards that acknowledges
the fact she gave birth to me, spent money raising me, and so forth; but
don't go on to say how great a parent she was."

With
the messages of picture-perfect mothering practically everywhere,
Mother's Day is a time of year when it is NOT uncommon for survivors to
have painful memories reemerge. When this happens a survivor may find it
safer to retreat than to participate in family functions (especially if
the abuse wasn't acknowledge along with the complicated feelings that
being hurt or unprotected by someone you love and depended on can bring
up). It is important that survivors find what works best for them in
order to stay emotionally healthy. While one survivor may find shunning
Mother's Day altogether the safest, another may find that they do want
to spend some time with their family, but set some boundaries as to how
long they stay or where they spend this time. Other survivors may find
it easier to make a phone call than to see their mother in person.
Others yet may want to spend the day with friends or mentors. Some
survivors have made Mother's day an opportunity for giving--they
volunteer in orphanages and children's homes, call their local nursing
home to find if there are residents without families who may appreciate a
visitor on a day when other residents have family come, or spend time
with an elderly or lonely neighbor. What is most important is that each
person be kind to themselves, no matter what they decided. If you have a
survivor in your family--you can help support them by respecting their
decision, especially if they decide not to participate.

Marleen said:

"Every
year when 'Mother's Day' approaches I get together with a group of my
friends who are all survivors and we honor each other for helping
ourselves re-parent ourselves."

Lou shared:

"Mother's
Day has always been a very difficult day for me. My mother was not my
offender, but I know she was more than aware of the physical violence
that went on in our home. She'd be sitting there watching TV as my
father chased me around the room and then beat me with his belt. I
cannot honor my mother. However, I do celebrate Mother's Day with my
wife and children--my wife is a wonderful woman and mother. I don't know
where I'd be today if it weren't for having such a kind and loving
life-partner."

If you know someone who is a survivor
of childhood abuse, it may be a good idea to check on them a few times
on Mother's Day and let them know you understand.

If you are a survivor, maybe find a friend who is free and spend time with them. Remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Mother's
Day can be difficult not only because of its topic. Sometimes the day
itself carries memories of pain. Holidays are a time when families tend
to get together and routines are changed. There's often added stress of
traveling, cleaning, and preparing meals. In healthy families this
stress translates mostly as excitement and anticipation. Unfortunately,
however, dysfunctional parents who are already inclined to use their
children as an outlet for emotions and urges, are often even more likely
to do so when under increased stress and anxiety. Many survivors of
childhood abuse report that their abuse intensified around and during
holidays, including Mother's Day.

Symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
can at times intensify around holidays, or get temporarily triggered
even after periods of relative remission. If you experience an increase
in disturbing thoughts, nightmares and flashbacks, try to remind
yourself that these intrusions are about the past, that the abuse is
over, and that the most important thing you can do for yourself is to be
kind and gentle with yourself. If you find yourself beset by thoughts
of self-harm or even suicide--reach out. Call a friend, a therapist, a
hotline. You don't need to manage these overwhelming feelings alone.

Whatever
you decided to do, remember that this is your life to live and that
things can change with time--you may never want to have anything to do
with your family or the holiday ever again, or you may find that several
years down the road you are ready to make new or partial plans. You are
not wrong or bad for having second and third and forth thoughts about
if and how to celebrate holidays--any holiday! Look into yourself and
identify what it is you need, then do your best to do it. Be kind to
yourself as you make the adjustments you need to make.

Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Lawrence J. Cohen was released from prison on January 9, 2006 and placed on the New Jersey Sex Offenders registry. Cohen was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for transmitting child pornography through his home computer. This was a case similar to ritual abuse.

Survivors of CAMP (A Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) & (Name Removed) SCHOOL FOR BOYS IN NY STATEBy LarryNewsgroups: alt.sexual.abuse.recovery - Oct 27 1996, 2:00 amFrom: lco...@excaliber.com (Larry) - Find messages by this authorNOTE:
The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old
Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated.
It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex
offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind
of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen
allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very
disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which
ended early 1997.

There was a child pornography ring which
involved children who attended (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) and
the nearby (School Name Removed) reform school in 1977. Boys from both
institutions were abused in the camp manager's private cabin. The
pictures of this horrible summer are plastered all over the Internet,
including the IRC.

The session I remember most clearly involved
three boys from the camp, including me (I was 12 at the time) and four
boys from (School Name Removed). Three of those boys from the reform
school were from the neighborhood in Manhattan called Hell's Kitchen.
The boy who was my age had light brown, almost blond hair and almond
eyes. His name was Robert James "Jamie" He had an older brother called
John, who was about 15. The two boys had played with fireworks in a
building and set it aflame accidently, and a fireman tragicaly lost his
life tyring to put it out. For this crime, the two innocent boys were
sent to (School Name Removed), where they were beaten and raped by their
guards, and fell into the web of these evil men who ran the kiddy porn
ring.

I found this information out, becoming friends with these
kids, while the adults closed their business deal. I clearly remember
one of the guards calling Jamie a :firebug", and telling the man to shut
up and leave him alone. The guard pulled out his batton and hit me
twice, once in the right knee to knock me down, and then again in my
lower back. Jamie led me away, crying. He told me to stop crying because
tears only turn them on. The guard told Daniel, the camp manager, "See?
That;'s how you handle the little shits. That kid won't talk back to me
ever again!"

Jamie told me that what I did was very stupid, that
he and his brother get hit by them all the time. Terrified, the two of
us became fast friends in that cabin. I promised all the boys that I
would remember them. It was the one thing they asked of me: that I
remember them and pray for them. They said it meant a lot to them that
someone on the outside of the prison thought about them, cared about
them, and prayed for them. Even in my nightmares, I never forgot.

The
proof of what happened is in the pictures. The boy in them not only
looks like me, but the shape of the ear, like a fingeprint, can prove it
is me, as well as a unique scar which Daniel gave me. The camp manager,
during a private session, tied my legs apart, took a knife, and cut me
just below my testicles to my crack in a straight line...this scar shows
up in a number of the photos they took of me. My doctor recently
verifyied that I still have this scar, and that its not natural and is
on none of my medical records.

I very much would like to find
these other boys. Especially Jamie, to see if they are still alive and
okay. A friend is cropping out the faces from the pornography, so I will
have images of their faces to share. I will post them soon. If anyone
recognizes these boys, PLEASE contact me, let me know where they are,
and that they are okay.

I keep my promises, I haven;'t forgotten.

Together
we can try to help each other heal from the pain these men caused us 19
years ago, and still live in our nightmares. Also, we just might be
able to beat the statute of limiations, if all of us testify, with the
pictures of our torture and rape to back us up. There will be such a
public outcry that the statute of limitations on child abuse in New York
State will be thrown out the window.

Even if you dont want to testify, please contact me, let me know you are okay.

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

In a nutshell, I was abused by counselors when I was twelve at summer camp. The head counselor used us for kiddyporn and raped us. Less than a year ago, I heard on the news about child porn going across the internet. This went on for a week or two, and I realized with growing fear that some of those pictures may have been ME when I was little.

It wasn't hard to find. All of us know where to look, we just avoid it. I went into the newsgroups, searched using Netscape, and eventually found a webpage with pictures of young boys, both clothed and in the nude.

One of the pictures was clearly ME, fully dressed, on a playground. I suddenly remembered how old I was when it happened, where I was when it happened, and WHO did it to me. I also realized that if they have THIS, me fully clothed, they must have the rest.

Searching with netscape yeilded nothing further. I went to the IRC and listed the channels. RIght at the top are all the sex channels. I went into one which said boysex&pix. I asked someone for a few pictures, and was sent five. One of those first five was indeed ME, performing oral sex on a boy I remember as Jamie, while the adults around us snapped away with their cameras.

I now have enough evidence to put Daniel and the others away for the rest of their Godforsaken lives. (although Im still searching for the other pictures...Daniel used whole rolls of film on me.) I gave it to the FBI in my attorney's office. My only problem now is to decide whether or not to go ahead with it.

The other problem is the statute of limitatons. There may be a few ways around that, delayed Discovery and all that. Im also trying to get it repealed retroactively for child abuse crimes. In New York State its only Five years, afterwhich the perp can brag about it to the world, even show people the pictures he took...and not worry about getting prosecuted.

Anyone who has anything to say, please respondI going through a tough time and need some support...and I havent been assigned a new therapist yet (US healthcare is SHIT when it comes to mental health.)

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

I hope im in the right group for this.

I was a victim of Camp (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) in July 1977, when I was twelve years old. My parents had no idea what (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) was, beyond a "Jewish summer camp."

(a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) is the youth recruitment for (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed), which is the military wing of Likud. Likud is the current political party in power in Israel right now.

These are the same bastards who murdered the Israeli prime minister last year, and sent a "lone gunman" to machine gun all those Arab people who were in an Israeli mosque to pray. They are religious fanatics with GUNS, and they unfortunately made it to power.

All the children who attended (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) were brainwashed. We were all told that it was okay to hate the Arabs, and it was okay to kill all of them off.

Something far more sinister hid behind all of this.

Barry Lieben was manager of the camp. He sold the boys for child pornography. He was originally caught in the 1980s, but was given a slap on the wrist. The reason is that (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) threatened all the children so they would not testify against him. Today he owns a travel agency on West 40th Street. I have the pornography he took of us as children to prove that it happened.

He was also led off in handcuffs on CBS news.

Daniel (last name removed) was my chief tormentor. He wanted me to be one of his "officers" This meant he had to "condition me. "I was brought to Daniel" private cabin, where I was raped and tortured by him for hours, and injected with drugs I can only guess at. His goal was to split up my mind and create a killer, one of his soldiers.

Besides the rape, I was tied up and beaten with belts, a switch, cut with a knife, given an enema and made to hold it for hours. He put weights on my testicles, threatened to cut them off, and added more and more weight until I started crying and begged him to take it off. He refused to remove the weights until I performed oral sex on him.

This monster is today in charge of (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) in the United States. I know exactly where he is. I have people watching him.

The only thing standing in my way is the statute of limitations, which in New York State is only I've years. I am working on getting this ridiculous law eliminated.

------------------------

From: Carrie Dawn

Dec 8 1996, 3:00 am show options

Newsgroups: alt.support.ex-cult

Subject: Re: Camp (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed) survivors

Dear Larry,

I think you are in the right group. I can empathize with your pain and your need to change the laws. visit our web site and our mind control and SRA/RA page (Survivors of Ritual Abuse/Ritual Abuse). I am a survivor from a different group but it had Jewish connections and triggers in it. I wish you well.

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

I originaly posted about (a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed), the cult which ran the summer camp I attended in July 1977. One of my perps saw my posts here and emailed threatening messages to me.

These are the same bastards who tortured, raped, and sold several boys for child pornography. They also murdered several boys and I am working with the FBI and law enforcement authorities on this case. They dont dare make a move against me now because the FBI will go straight for specific individuals as my murderers if anything happens to me.

However, it bothers me that they found out about my posts here. Its been several weeks and I feel a little safe to post this warning. BE CAREFUL you dont know WHO is reading this!!!!

(a Jewish summer camp - Name Removed): You know who you are, if you know whats good for you I suggest you stay the hell away from me. I am being watched very closely by Federal agents who are investigating what you did in 1977 and those years. They know about the bodies of children dumped in the lake, they know about the covered up murders at (School Name Removed)'s--Division for Youth in Highland.

You are also being watched very closely. Any move against me will almost certainly result in your immediate arrest. If you think I;m kidding, think again. Your email caused me to run straight to the FBI agent and tell him you were threatening me.

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

This is the last known picture I have of Jamie. You don't have to download it if you have obsolete equipment that can't handle a small jpg photo. In the photo, James Robert Kaskill was 11 years old.

This has become a Federal Murder Investigation into the death of Jamie's older brother, Jonathan, and the disappearance of several other children. This is NO joke and I am dead serious. I can provide the names and phone numbers of the agents and police detectives involved for those who ask.

You can delete this picture from your server after I get an updated picture of Jamie from his mother.

Jamie may be using the nickname Jimmy, is 30 years old, with long blond hair, clean shaven, but ragged looking. He was last known wearing jeans and a denim jacket and may be on heroin again. He may be with a male partner who is beating him and keeping him a virtual prisoner.

Jamie is believed to have disappeared in the Village in New York City.

Anyone with ANY information PLEASE contact me!!! I and Jamie's family are worried sick and waiting news!!!

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

Seeking the following boys who were at (School Name Removed) 's in July 1977

"Jamie" or "Jimmy" James Robert West. He was 11 years old in 1977, he would be 30 now. His brother was Jonathan. Jonathan was 14 then, he would be 34 now. Both were from the area of Manhattan known as Hell's Kitchen, as well as Queens. Ive been told that Jamie hangs out at Washington Square Park. Ive been trying to find him!!!

His new nickname may be Jimmy. His own mother is looking for him too. Jamie is somewhere in the Village in New York City, ANYONE with ANY information PLEASE contact me!!!!!

I expect to hear from his mom real soon, and get an updated picture of him and more information. I've been told that he is with a partner who is BEATING him, that Jamie wants to call me and call home, but this guy is keeping him a virtual prisoner living in fear.

ANYONE with ANY information, PLEASE let me know!!!

Jamie would have blond hair, clean shaven, but ragged looking, wearing jeans and a denum jacket. He may be on heroin again.

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

Jamie is Urkranian on his mother's side, he was last known living in Queens, New York. Both of us are bonded in Stockholm Syndrome, which happens to children who survive disasters together.

Age 30, blond hair, hazel eyes. In photo, aged 11, July 1977.

Jamie's family, including his mother, are worried sick. Jamie has been missing for several months and we are desperately searching for him.

Jamie is believed to be somewhere in the Village in New York City. I am told that he hangs out at Washington Square Park and also Christopher Street, and that he may be living in an apartment in the middle of Christopher Street. Jamie may be with a very evil man who is treating him as a virtual slave, keeping him drugged and forcing him into sex acts. (Sound familiar? Poor Jamie is repeating the abuse we all survived.)

Jamie may be wearing jeans and a denum jacket. He may also be into the S&M leather bondage scene, which is a direct result of what the cult did to us as children. He may also be being forced into prostitution on Christpher Street. I have left fliers all over the place, and I think he wants to call me but he's too afraid of the man he lives with to do it. ALL HE HAS TO DO IS CALL ME AND I'LL PICK HIM UP AND TAKE HIM HOME!!!!

Jamie is still under the influence of the cult's programming. We were told over and over that our parents don't love us anymore, that our only family is the cult. Only our master loves us, we were catamites and the property of our masters. In my case it was Daniel, in Jamie's it was Sean Stokes.

ANYONE with ANY information, PLEASE contact me at Lco...@excaliber.com, or (908) 303-7447.

You can also contact Det. Mounts at the NYPD Cold Case Squad, (212) 385-6932.

All of us are searching for Jamie Kaskill. PLEASE help us if you have ANY idea where he is!!!

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

This is the last known photo I have of Jamie, taken when he was 10 or 11 years old, in July 1977. Jamie MAY be using the nickname "Jimmy" now.

I am desperately trying to find my friend!

Jamie is 30 years old today, sandy blond hair, hazel eyes, stands about 5'8 to 5'11, has a "little boy" haircut, is possibly wearing jeans and a demum jacket. He is believed somewhere in the Village in new York City. Jamie is Ukranian on his mother's side.

His mother is 60 years old, short, with long gray hair and a heavy Ukrainian accent. The poor woman is worried sick and is searching the streets of New York in the dead of Winter for her missing son.

I am also looking for him, Jamie is my best friend from childhood, and he is also another witness in his older brother's murder. The people who abused all of us as children murdered Jamie's brother and tortured all of us.

Jamie may be in serious danger where he is and I have to get to him to hide him out somewhere. I'm also told by various people on the street that he may be addicted to heroin, that his current lover is beating him and keeping him drugged up, a virtual prisoner. I believe Jamie wants to call me but is too afraid to.

PLEASE, if ANYONE has ANY INFORMATION, PLEASE contact me or ask Jamie to CALL ME!!! I will come alone and pick Jamie up immediately, all he has to do is pick up the phone and call me!!!

All I want is to rescue my friend from whatever horrible situation he is in now. Please, anyone who can help, give Jamie this message!

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

Hi,

I was just switched to a psychiatrist who specializes in child abuse issues, and I am going to be sent to a psyciatrist who specializes in Satanic Ritual Abuse survivors in the near future.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a good group for SRA victims/survivors in the New Jersey/NYC area? It would be nice to talk to people who have lived through this too...although I understand that I am a lot more stable than I should be, mainly because I was 12 (older than I should have been when they began conditioning my mind) and I was only in their clutches for one month -(yeah, I know, that ONE MONTH altered my life forever...)

I was warned by my friends that when the other witnesses are found, be prepared for the worst, ie, that I may be the strongest, the most stable of all the survivors that came out of that cult. My friend, when I find him, is going to need YEARS of therapy, and my love and support, to help him heal from this...I just hope and pray to God that I find him very soon....

NOTE: The following information is graphic in nature. It came from an old Newsgroup. The information in the thread has NOT been authenticated. It appears to have come from Larry Cohen, who is a convicted sex offender. It is being provided for background information on the mind of a convicted sex offender. During the same time frame that Cohen allegedly posted the following message he also posted some very disturbing personal ads and stories of a more predatory nature which ended early 1997.

Anyone who happens to be a male victim of child abuse and wishes a support system on the net should contact me. There is a worldwide net of men who survived abuse, from molestation up to the severe abuse of a cult (which is what happened to me at summer camp)

Also, don't be afraid to speak out. The one thing they are afraid of is having their dirty secret out.

A kindergarten teacher from Monmouth County who thought he had used the Internet to arrange a sexual tryst with an 11-year-old boy was arrested in a motel room by police who set up the "cybersting," authorities said yesterday.

Lawrence Cohen, 31, who teaches at P.S. 307 in Brooklyn, was seized at a Wall Township motel Friday morning as he waited with a stuffed dog, a dog's collar and leather restraints for a rendezvous set up by the State Police.

"He came there with a trunk full of apparatus to use on this child," Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye said in a news conference in Newark. "He planned to be there the whole weekend. He even brought a change of clothes."

Cohen sought to arrange an encounter with the 11-year-old — who never really existed — with the help of an Arizona resident he had met Feb. 17 in a pedophile "chat room" on the Internet, according to a federal arrest complaint. The Arizona resident was an informant for the U.S. Customs Service.

Shortly after the two began corresponding, Cohen used the Internet to send the informant photographs showing young boys engaged in sex acts involving leather restraints and other sado-masochistic devices, the complaint said.

"This stuff was especially repugnant, truly awful," U.S. Attorney Faith Hochberg said in the news conference.

Hochberg said investigators found nothing to suggest Cohen had molested his students, but school officials said they will conduct their own investigation.

Cohen, who is single and lives in Manalapan, is facing state charges of conspiracy and attempted aggravated sexual assault for the motel incident, and federal child pornography charges for allegedly transmitting the photographs on the Internet.

The stocky, bespectacled defendant appeared in U.S. District Court yesterday unshaven and wearing faded blue jeans and a denim jacket. U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis Cavanaugh ordered him held without bail pending a detention hearing Thursday.

Lawrence Grossman, his lawyer, said a psychiatrist hired by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office had concluded that Cohen suffers from multiple personality disorder. He said his client has been under psychiatric care for a year.

Grossman said Cohen has four separate personalities and that one of them — a 14- year-old named Jason — had done the cruising on the Internet. The lawyer said Cohen was sexually molested at a summer camp when he was a child and that Jason had set out into cyberspace to find the culprit.

Grossman admitted that his client had pornographic materials but said he had never sent them to the Customs Service informant. He said a hacker — perhaps the informant — must have interfaced with Cohen's computer, downloaded the material and transmitted it to Arizona.

He also said Cohen had never attempted to arrange a meeting with an 11-year-old and that he was planning to meet an adult at the motel. The lawyer said he did not know what the meeting was about.

The Customs Service informant, who corresponded with Cohen under the code name "Arizona Boy Lover," told the defendant that the 11-year-old was his stepson and that his name was Brandon, according to the complaint.

The complaint charges that Cohen told the informant by e-mail that he wanted to meet Brandon and have sex. On March 17, an undercover state trooper posing as the informant called Cohen and agreed to bring the boy to New Jersey over the weekend.

NEW YORK, April 1 (UPI) -- A New York City kindergarten teacher has been being charged with sending child pornography over the Internet and attempted sexual assault on a juvenile.

The Daily News reports he was arrested on Monday after going to a hotel carrying a Toys ``R'' Us bag filled with teddy bears, a dog leash and leather restraints, hoping to meet an 11-year-old boy. Instead, the 31-year-old teacher had a rendezvous with a federal agent.

Authorities say Lawrence Cohen, who teaches kindergarten and computers in a Brooklyn elementary school, used the Internet to send child pornography to a federal informant calling himself Arizona Boy Lover.

School officials say Cohen, who started working for the Board of Education in 1992, will be fired effective today. The New Jersey attorney general's office says Cohen met the federal informant in an Internet chat room in mid-February. The next day, Cohen allegedly transmitted Arizona Boy Lover child pornography and an e-mail message asking to have sex with the informant's stepson. The two made contact by phone, and arranged to meet in New Jersey over the weekend.

Local school officials say nine parents have accused Cohen of cursing their children and treating them too harshly since he was transferred to PS 307 in September.

Some time ago, back when I participated in ASAR, I tried to help a person named Larry Cohen, who presented himself as a survivor of sadistic pederastic abuse. I had posted about emotional abuse through the threat of pederastic rape at a Jewish summer camp; he responded to me with his (now I think: alleged?) story of sadistic rape, supposedly to check whether it was the same perp or the same summer camp. Subsequently, in the context of what I thought was a supportive friendship with a fellow survivor, I taught him about some of the capabilities of the Internet, and sometimes posted articles, without naming names, expressing sympathy with what I had thought of as Larry's current predicament. Today, I saw the following UPI article on clari.news. It appears that Larry used some of what I had taught him about the Internet in an attempt to visit what he had described as his own abuse, on another child. I feel horribly betrayed, and set back I don't know how many years in my own recovery work on trying to recover my ability to give support to others. I had spent more time and mental energy struggling to support Larry, a fellow survivor, than I could afford to give up and see misused and betrayed

A kindergarten teacher from Monmouth County who authorities charge tried to use the Internet to set up a sexual tryst with an 11-year-old boy was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on charges of trafficking in child pornography by computer.

Just days after he was arrested in a motel room while allegedly awaiting for the boy to visit for a sexual rendezvous, Lawrence Cohen of Manalapan — who taught at P.S. 307 in Brooklyn — was charged with three counts of interstate transportation of graphic child pornography. Cohen was fired Monday from his teaching job.

The charges were filed less than 24 hours before a scheduled court hearing in which federal investigators are expected to expose details of Cohen's sexual activities and seek to have him detained without bail pending his trial. Cohen, 31, was arrested last Friday at a Wall Township motel as he allegedly waited with boxes of paraphernalia, which included a stuffed dog, a dog's collar and leather restraints. He was ordered held without bail following a hearing Monday in Newark.

Authorities claim Cohen had sought to arrange an encounter with the 11-year-old — who never really existed — with the help of an Arizona resident he had met Feb. 17 in a pedophile "chat room" on the Internet.

The Arizona resident turned out to be an informant for the U.S. Customs Service, who alerted authorities to Cohen's cyberspace activities.

Shortly after the two began corresponding via e-mail, authorities say, Cohen used the Internet to send the informant photographs showing young boys engaged in sex acts involving leather restraints and other sadomasochistic bondage devices.

It was the transmission of those pictures, some 20 computerized photos, which served as the basis for the charges lodged yesterday, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Krappa.

During their on-line discussions, authorities said, the informant had used the code name "Arizona Boy Lover," and told the teacher that he had an 11-year-old stepson named Brandon.

Court documents charged that Cohen contacted the informant by e-mail and said he wanted to meet Brandon and have sex. On March 17, an undercover state trooper posing as the informant called Cohen and agreed to bring the boy to New Jersey over the weekend.

Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye said when Cohen arrived at the motel, "He came there with a trunk full of apparatus to use on this child. . . . He planned to be there the whole weekend. He even brought a change of clothes."

Cohen, who is single, also is facing state charges of conspiracy and attempted aggravated sexual assault for the motel incident.

U.S. Attorney Faith Hochberg said investigators had found nothing to suggest Cohen had molested his pupils, but school officials said they were conducting their own investigation.

Defense attorney Lawrence Grossman said a psychiatrist hired by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office had concluded that Cohen suffers from multiple personality disorder and said his client has been under psychiatric care for a year.

Grossman said Cohen has four personalities and that one of them — a 14-year-old named Jason — had done the cruising on the Internet. The lawyer said Cohen was sexually molested at a summer camp when he was a child and that Jason had set out into cyberspace to find the culprit.

He also denied that Cohen had attempted to arrange a meeting with an 11-year-old and said the teacher was planning to meet an adult at the motel.

A kindergarten teacher from Monmouth County who authorities say tried to use the Internet to set up a sexual tryst with an 11-year-old boy pleaded innocent yesterday to charges of trafficking in child pornography by computer.

Lawrence Cohen of Manalapan, who taught at P.S. 307 in Brooklyn until his arrest last month, was arraigned yesterday in Newark on three counts of interstate transportation of graphic child pornography.

Cohen, 31, had been taken into custody in a Wall Township motel room while allegedly awaiting for a man he contacted on the Internet to bring his nephew for a sexual rendezvous.

The boy, however, never really existed and a State Police detective played the role of the Internet informer who set up the meeting.

Cohen was seized as he waited with box of paraphernalia that included a stuffed dog, a dog's collar and leather restraints, and has been ordered held without bail pending trial.

A kindergarten teacher from Monmouth County, who was arrested for attempting to use the Internet to set up a tryst with an 11-year-old boy, yesterday confessed to a federal child pornography violation that could put him behind bars for up to 15 years.

Lawrence Cohen, 33, of Manalapan taught at P.S. 307 in Brooklyn until his arrest last year in a Wall Township motel room while allegedly waiting for the boy to visit for a sexual rendezvous. Authorities said Cohen had brought boxes of paraphernalia that included a stuffed dog, a dog's collar and leather restraints.

Authorities claim Cohen had arranged the encounter with the help of an Arizona resident he had met in a pedophile "chat room" on the Internet. The Arizona resident, however, turned out to be an informant for the U.S. Customs Service, who alerted authorities to Cohen's cyberspace activities.

Federal authorities said the 11-year-old Cohen planned to meet never existed.

The teacher, who was fired, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of interstate transportation of graphic child pornography by computer, and also was indicted on state charges growing out of the incident.

Yesterday, at the start of jury selection for his trial on the federal charges, Cohen notified U.S. District Judge Alfred Wolin that he wanted to plead guilty.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Krappa said the teacher confessed to a single count of transportation of child pornography.

Cohen's parents were present during the plea and the former teacher asked the court for permission to have them speak on his behalf when he is sentenced. Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 4.

Krappa said Cohen attempted to elaborate during the plea, explaining that he was abused while at a summer camp as a child, but was cut off by the court.

The defense had maintained that Cohen suffered from a multiple personality disorder and that one of those personalities - a 14-year-old named Jason - had done the cruising on the Internet. Cohen has claimed he was sexually molested at a summer camp when he was a child and that Jason had set out into cyberspace to find the culprit.

10 -Year Term handed out for Kiddie PornAssociated Press (The Star-Ledger) - December 17, 1998

Thursday Page: 049 Section: New Jersey Edition

A former New York City kindergarten teacher who has admitted arranging to meet a child at a motel for kinky sex was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for transmitting child pornography through his home computer.

The Monmouth County man still faces sentencing Jan. 8 on a state charge of plotting to have a weekend of sexual activity involving dog collars and duck feathers with an 11-year-old boy who was actually a plant by undercover officers.

Investigators have not said whether Lawrence Cohen molested any children, but acknowledged in Newark for the first time yesterday that he had an "inappropriate relationship" with a child attending P.S. 307 in Brooklyn. The child was not one of his students. Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna A. Krappa, who prosecuted the Internet case, declined to elaborate on the relationship. A message seeking comment from New York City school authorities was not immediately returned yesterday.

Cohen, 33, could have faced up to 15 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Alfred M. Wolin said he would recommend Cohen begin serving his time at a psychiatric prison, asserting that Cohen is mentally ill.

``You are a danger and a threat to society with your current mental state," Wolin said. Cohen, who is not eligible for parole, was also fined $2,000.

Cohen apologized in court, said he suffered from delusions, and admitted, "At times I may be a danger to society."

Revocation of Teaching Certificate in New JerseyIn The Matter of: New Department of Education

http://www.state.nj.us/njded/legal/examiners/2000/apr/5220599211.pdf

THE CERTIFICATE OF : STATE BOARD OF EXAMINERS

LAWRENCE COHEN : ORDER OF REVOCATION

______________________: DOCKET NO: 522-05/99-211

At its meeting of May 13, 1999, the State Board of Examiners reviewed information received from the United States District Court, District of New Jersey and the New Jersey Superior Court, Monmouth County regarding Lawrence Cohen. On December 18, 1998 Cohen pled guilty in federal court to two counts of transportation of child pornography. He was sentenced to 120 months' imprisonment, supervised release for a term of three years after release from prison and fined $2000. On April 16, 1999, Cohen pled guilty in New Jersey Superior Court to one count of 2nd degree attempted aggravated assault. He was sentenced to a seven-year term in the Department of Corrections, to run concurrent to his federal term. In addition, Cohen had to comply with all Megan's Law requirements, N.J.S.A. 2C:7-1, et seq., was subject to all DNA testing and was sentenced to community supervision for life. Upon review of the above information, at that May 1999 meeting the State Board of Examiners voted to issue an Order to Show Cause upon Cohen. Cohen currently holds a Teacher of Elementary School certificate.

The Order to Show Cause was mailed to Cohen by regular and certified mail on July 9, 1999. The Order provided that an Answer to the Order must be filed within 20 days. Although the certified mail card was signed and returned, Cohen did not file a response to the Order to Show Cause.

On October 6, 1999, the Board of Examiners allowed Cohen an additional 10 days to file a response to the Order. He was advised that if he did not respond, the allegations in the Order would be deemed to be admitted and the State Board would proceed to a decision as to revocation or suspension on the basis of the evidence before it. Cohen never responded to this second notice although he did sign and return the certified mail card.

The threshold issue before the State Board of Examiners in this matter, therefore, is whether Cohen's offenses and convictions constitute conduct unbecoming a certificate holder. Since Cohen failed to respond to the Order to Show Cause, the State Board of Examiners had no responsive pleading to consider in the hearing process. It is therefore ORDERED that the charges in the Order to Show Cause are deemed admitted for the purpose of this proceeding. N.J.A.C. 6:11-3.6(a)1. Since Cohen's offenses are admitted, the Board of Examiners must now decide whether they constitute a sufficient basis to act against Cohen's certificate pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6:11-3.6(a)1. We find that they do. The State Board of Examiners may revoke or suspend the certification of any certificate holder on the basis of demonstrated inefficiency, incapacity, conduct unbecoming a teacher or other just cause. N.J.A.C. 6:11-3.4. Teachers of the State of New Jersey "are professional employees to whom the people have entrusted the care and custody of ... school children." Tenure of Sammons, 1972 S.L.D. 302, 321.

There can be no argument that Cohen has, by his heinous conduct, violated that most sacred trust. Two courts deemed it imperative that Cohen no longer be given access to children as a teacher. In fact, those courts also agreed that Cohen should be removed from society as a whole for an extended period. Moreover it is irrelevant that Cohen's behavior did not arise as a result of his teaching responsibilities. A teacher's behavior outside the classroom may be relevant in determining that person's qualifications and continued fitness to retain his certificate. In re Grossman, 127 N.J. Super. 13, 30 (App. Div. 1974), certif. denied, 65 N.J. 292 (1974). Unfitness to hold a position in a school system may be shown by one incident, if sufficiently flagrant.

Redcay v. State Bd. of Educ., 130 N.J.L. 369, 371 (S. Ct. 1943), aff'd. 131 N.J.L. 326 (E & A 1944). The New Jersey State Board of Examiners has a responsibility to protect New Jersey's school children from predators like Cohen. The only way to fulfill that obligation is to ensure that, as a teacher, he will never set foot in a New Jersey classroom again.

Accordingly, it is therefore ORDERED that Lawrence Cohen's Teacher of Elementary School certificate be revoked on this 6th day of April, 2000. It is further ORDERED that Cohen return his certificate to the Secretary of the State Board of Examiners, Office of Licensing, CN 500, Trenton, NJ 08625-0500 within fifteen (15) days of receipt of this decision.

_______________________________

Secretary State Board of Examiners, Date of Mailing: September 26, 2000, Appeals may be made to the State Board of Education pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:6-28.

MANALAPAN — The return of a well-known convicted sex offender — who claimed in 1997 that a multiple personality disorder prompted him to try to arrange a weekend of bondage sex with an 11-year-old boy — has a neighborhood demanding that he be forced to move.

Lawrence Cohen's return to the neighborhood where he lived nine years ago may also be the first major test of the township's Sex Offender Residency Restriction ordinance, which prohibits sex offenders registered with the state under Megan's Law from living within 2,500 feet of a school, day care center, park or library.

Released from prison Jan. 9, Cohen is now living with his parents on Alexandria Drive — right down the street from the Monmouth County Library Headquarters on Symmes Drive.

Manalapan Police Chief Stuart Brown said he is reviewing Cohen's case with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office to determine if Cohen is in violation of the ordinance, known around town as "Miracle's Law" in honor of Miracle Torregrossa, the woman who helped create it.

In question is whether Miracle's Law applies to Cohen because the ordinance doesn't apply to registered sex offenders who had established residences in town before the ordinance passed in August. At that time, Cohen was still in prison, which would have been his legal domicile then.

Township Attorney James Kinneally said he plans to review the legal ramifications of Cohen's case, but couldn't comment further.

"We'd like to do everything legally," said Robert DeSalvatore, the father of two 7-year-olds in the neighborhood. "We don't want to do anything maliciously. But we have a lot of children in the area, and I'm hoping Miracle's Law works."

Cohen has not yet been classified under the state's tier system for sex offenders. A Tier 3 classification would mean that Cohen's neighbors would be notified of his presence and criminal record.

But those neighbors are acutely aware of his presence.

"People in the development are well aware of the crime that was committed, and they were well aware of his release," said Manalapan Police Capt. Louis Moreto.

The Alexandria Drive neighborhood may be more sensitive than most. In 1994 on an adjacent street, 6-year-old Amanda Wengert was taken from her house and killed by neighbor Kevin Aquino. Aquino, now serving a life term in prison, had previously molested three children in the neighborhood.

Since last weekend, word rippled through the neighborhood that Cohen had returned to his parents' house. By Tuesday, roughly 30 concerned residents converged at the Township Committee's public meeting to alert officials to Cohen's presence and demand that he be made to relocate.

Marie Curcio, the mother of two childrens ages 3 and 7, said she and other parents are deeply disappointed that police may not be required to notify the community of Cohen's presence if he is not classified as a Tier 3 offender. But Curcio made it clear that the neighborhood will keep its own level of vigilance.

"I believe knowledge is a very powerful tool, and if you know what someone looks like, you are in control," Curcio said. "You know this person is not talking to me to chitchat, you know he's possibly trying to gain your trust for bad reasons. If I'm walking down my block, I know who this individual is and that he can pose a threat, and in the past has posed a threat."

In December 1998, Cohen, then 33, who was a kindergarten teacher for P.S. 307 in Brooklyn, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for transmitting child pornography from his home computer. This was discovered after Cohen was arrested by a police officer posing as a child in an Internet chat room, who pretended to comply with Cohen's requests that the two meet for sex.

In March 1997, when he arrived at the agreed-upon hotel in Wall, arresting officers found that Cohen had brought a car trunk full of bondage gear, including leather dog collars and feathers, for the weekend's intended activities. Later, at his desk at P.S. 307, police found more restraining devices and a bag of feathers.

In federal court, Cohen was accused of sending a government informant three batches totaling about 20 pornographic images, some showing nude boys in dog collars engaged in sex with men. He pleaded guilty to one of the charges.

On Wednesday, Cohen filed a report of a bias incident after resident Tom Grande pulled alongside him in his SUV while Cohen was walking on Franklin Lane. Cohen, who is Jewish, was wearing a yarmulke at the time, and he claims in his report that Grande said to him, "I want to see what Jew look like."

Grande says that he did not speak to Cohen, and that he "took the rap" for a neighbor who did. This neighbor, whom Grande would not identify, actually told Cohen: "I just want to see what you look like." Grande stated he took Cohen's picture from his SUV so he could hand copies out to his neighbors.

"I'll take the heat for it because I got my picture," Grande said. "I did what I had to do to protect my family and children. This convicted felon has more rights than the children of Manalapan. To me, as a taxpayer, that's an outrage.

MANALAPAN — Whether or not the township can force a convicted sex offender to move from his parents' house, located directly behind the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, may hinge on one issue: Whether his "home" in 2005 was a federal prison.

On Jan. 9, Lawrence Cohen, 40, returned to his parents' home on Alexandria Drive after serving a seven-year sentence for disseminating child pornography and attempting to lure an 11-year-old boy into a weekend of deviant sex. That "boy" was actually an undercover police officer who was communicating with Cohen in an online chat room.

Cohen's presence in the bustling neighborhood surrounding the library was quickly noticed by neighbors who remembered his 1997 arrest. On Tuesday, about 30 residents went to a Township Committee meeting to demand that Cohen be made to move.

In most respects, Cohen falls directly within the parameters of Manalapan's Sex Offender Residency Restriction Ordinance, commonly known as "Miracle's Law" after Miracle Torregrossa, the woman who helped create it. Miracle's Law prohibits sex offenders who must register with the state under Megan's Law from living within 2,500 feet of a church, school, day care center or library.

But the caveat to Miracle's Law, one that could apply to Cohen, is that sex offenders who had established residences in town before the ordinance took effect are exempt from it.

"This case is going to solely revolve around where his residence is," said Stuart Moskovitz, the former township attorney who drafted Miracle's Law. "If his legal residence (when the ordinance was approved) was prison, then the ordinance applies to him."

Committeeman Joseph Locricchio said Cohen's case is being reviewed by the police department and township attorney. He was careful not to speak in detail about the matters concerning Cohen, but emphasized that "if the state requires him to register under Megan's Law, then our ordinance automatically kicks in and he has to abide by it under the law."

Locricchio said Miracle's Law specifically states that a sex offender attempting to move back into Manalapan, even if he or she had lived in town before the ordinance came into effect, could still not live within 2,500 feet of a church, school, day care center or library.

In early 1997, Cohen, then a kindergarten teacher at P.S. 307 in Brooklyn, began chatting online with an informant of the U.S. Customs Service, which was investigating Internet crimes. According to court papers, Cohen frequented a specific chat room that focused on boys and sex. It didn't take long for Cohen to proposition someone who he thought was an 11-year-old boy for a weekend of bondage sex in a Wall motel. In March 1997, Cohen was arrested when he arrived at the agreed-upon hotel. In the trunk of his car, police discovered numerous bondage devices, including leather dog collars.

Cohen ultimately pleaded guilty to a federal charge of distributing child pornography via the Internet, and was sentenced to 10 years. He was also sentenced to seven years in a state prison for attempting to have sex with a minor.

When Cohen was given his state sentence on April 16, 1999, Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet called Cohen "a disturbed individual," and noted that a psychologist who examined him said the defendant "has clearly struggled with severe sexual pathology for years (and suffers) from a combination of severe psychological disturbance and exceptionally bad judgment."

Chaiet ordered that Cohen be subject to the requirements of Megan's Law and community supervision for at least 15 years after his release from prison.

During his trial, Cohen's attorneys said he was sexually molested at summer camp as a child, and was combing the Internet for his molester. They also have maintained that Cohen suffered from a multiple personality disorder brought out by the abuse he endured as a child.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Cohen was sent to the federal prison in Fairton, Cumberland County, on Jan. 28, 1999. On April 11, 2000, he was transferred to the federal prison at Fort Dix. Then, in December 2005, Cohen entered a "transitional halfway house" program run by the Community Corrections Management Office in Brooklyn. It could not be determined Friday where Cohen was placed during this "transition" period.

Cohen has not been classified under the Megan's Law tier system. Police are only required to send notification to neighbors of a Tier 3 offender. The state has 60 days to classify Cohen, a facet of the process that has Cohen's neighbors infuriated.

"Do you know how many children can be taken and molested in 60 days?" asked Marie Curcio, the mother of two.

Matthew Schuman, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, confirmed that Cohen is a registered sex offender. He added that his picture is not posted on the state's police records Web site because Cohen technically never served time in a state prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons does not make pictures of their prisoners available online.

THE OFFENDER WAS CONVICTED OF ATTEMPTED AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT FOR GOING TO A MOTEL IN ANTICIPATIONENGAGING IN DEVIANT SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH AN 11 YEAR OLD MALE.AT THE TIME OF THE ARREST, THE OFFENDER WAS IN POSSESSION OF NUMEROUS RESTRAINT DEVICES.IN JULY OF 1999, THE OFFENDER WAS CONVICTED IN FEDERAL COURT OF TRANSPORTATION OF NUMEROUS IMAGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.

FAIR USE NOTICESome of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/us code/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Subscribe to The Awareness Center's Newsletter

Translate

Survivors ARE Heroes!

The Awareness Center believes ALL survivors of sex crimes should be given yellow ribbons to wear proudly.

Survivors of sexual violence (as adults and/or as a child) are just as deserving of a yellow ribbon as the men and women of our armed forces, who have been held captive as hostages or prisoners of war.

Survivors of sexual violence have been forced to learn how to survive, being held captive not by foreigners, but mostly by their own family members, teachers, camp counselors, coaches babysitters, rabbis, cantors or other trusted authority figures.

For these reasons ALL survivors of sexual violence should be seen as heroes!